Under Pressure
by Kara Tezla
Summary: Season Three. Another IG2 team moves up and into the IG1. They were undefeated. The best. Will that be enough? Or will the professionals make scrambled mech out of these newbies?
1. Curiousity, Wonder, and Awe

**Under Pressure**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original IGPX characters. I do own, though, my precious Team Delta and all of its members.**

**Summary: Another IG-2 team moves up and into the IG-1. Will they threaten to replace Satomi as one of the top teams? What will they do to win? And most importantly... who are they?**

Chapter One: Curiosity, Wonder, and Awe

Curious murmurs filled the room as three people unboarded the plane. A huge crowd of mostly teenagers were pressed against the window in the waiting room with their mouths hanging open in excitement and awe. Of course, Takashi Jin wasn't wondering anything. He, Liz, and Amy were waiting for the new version of their mechs to come off the plane that Mark had so generously ordered for them from Japan.

"Who do you think it is, now?" Asked Amy quietly; her hand unconsciously stroking Luca's head which was protruding out of the bag slung over her shoulder.

Liz glanced at her team mate, "Let's find out, shall we?" She grinned and pushed her way through the crowd in front of her with Amy trailing behind.

Takashi started to object but figured it pointless, since Liz was probably out of earshot in the thickness of the crowd. Instead, he decided to follow. He found the two girls looking over shoulders to see out the window to the runway below.

"Liz... Amy..." he said quietly while tapping on their shoulders as the terminal intercom announced of the mechs' arrival.

Amy tugged on Liz's sleeve and motioned to her that it was time to get moving. Just before Takashi followed them out of the mass of people, he caught a glimpse of what they had been staring at.

Three teenagers stood below the exit stairway of the plane. They were being greeted by a small group of adults in green and black jackets. Takashi swallowed. Another team coming up from the IG-2? _Now_ he was wondering...

ll--I-G-P-X--ll

Team Satomi stood patiently waiting for their new machines to be loaded into their transportation mods so they could get them back to the track for Mark to check out. Takashi was silent behind his yellow-tinted sunglasses as Amy and Liz chattered beside him.

"I actually wonder if they will be coming up to the IG-1." Said Amy. "Did you catch where they were from?"

Liz cocked her head as she thought for a second. "The plane was from Japan... but I didn't catch where they were from."

Takashi looked on soundlessly as the mechs were loaded into the mod. They looked the same as before, but shinier. He mentally tried to figure out what was different about them.

Then something caught his eye. To the left of him, he saw a black mod-truck pull up to the loading dock. They opened up the back and started to move a mech into it--a green and black one. The glare of the sun off the side of the mod didn't allow him to read the team name.

"Takashi, their done," a voice said, interrupting his thoughts. Liz hit him gently on the arm. "Whatcha lookin' at?" She asked, following his gaze to the mod.

"Do you really think their racing in the IG-1?" He asked.

"Personally? I don't know, but if they are, they won't be replacing anyone."

"What about Team Sledgemama? Weren't they eliminated for cheating?"

"Well, yeah, but... I guess you're right."

"Who do you think they are?"

"I think we'll be finding out soon,"

With that, they walked to the rental car that they were traveling in for the time being and headed after their mechs to the IGPX track.

ll--I-G-P-X--ll

**Please be nice! I had to get rid of one of the teams... and I don't know how the second season ends! yet! I've never liked Sledgemama, so don't hurt me about that, please... Reviews and Constructive Criticism are appreciated. This is my first IGPX fic, and I only started watching the show a month ago. I studied up on my Immortal Grand Prix and want to write a fic, so your opinion is nice. If the characters are OOC... tell me... and also tell me if I should keep going or not, or something to that extent. If I continue, the next chapters would be longer…**

**Thank ya much -- KT**


	2. An Unofficial Debut

**Under Pressure**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original IGPX characters. I do own, though, my precious Team Delta and all of its members.**

**Summary: Another IG-2 team moves up and into the IG-1. Will they threaten to replace Satomi as one of the top teams? What will they do to win? And most importantly... who are they?**

Chapter Two: An Unofficial Debut

"As you may already know, a new team has entered the IG1." Said Team Satomi's owner, Michiru Satomi, while walking to the side of the screen that was showing the team that Takashi, Liz, and Amy had seen at the airport. "They pushed out Team Skylark after Skylark's unfortunate string of losses last season."

"What about Team Sledgemama? Didn't they get kicked out after they were caught sabotaging Edge Raid's mechs?" Asked Liz.

"Yes, but after a long discussion, the IGPX board members decided to let them back in for this season, since none of the teams in the IG2 had good enough records to move up with this new team. They let Sledgemama off with a warning, and if they do it again, they're going to kick them off for good. No questions asked,"

"Good,"

Michiru turned back to the touch-screen that was to her right. "Okay, Team Satomi, meet Team Delta," she tapped the lower corner of the screen lightly. A picture of two guys and a girl in front of green and black mechs popped up on the screen.

"Their leader and forward is Raven Archer," Michiru touched the girl in the picture so that her stats filled the screen. She had dark brown hair, tan skin, and green eyes. "Six foot one, one-hundred-thirty-seven pounds of eighteen-year-old American muscle; she led her team to an undefeated season last year in the IG2. She actually came up with a plan to take down a team after her defender, Mitch Watson, crashed during lap two of a race. Her midfielder took the lead while she harshly introduced the opposing forward to the track. They took first and second and the other team took third." As she said this, a video clip of that race played on the screen. Team Satomi watched as Raven ran the other team's forward into the pavement as they pass the line going into lap three.

The screen flicked back to the picture of the three team mates. Michiru put her finger on the taller guy to the right of the girl. "This is their mid-fielder, Bryce Roland; twenty-one, six foot four and weighing in at one-hundred-sixty-five pounds. He's American, like his team's leader, but with a Russian background, and is probably the least vocal of the three." Bryce had black hair, fair skin, and blue eyes.

"Lastly," Michiru tapped the corner of the screen to get rid of Bryce, then tapped on the last guy, who looked as if he could of stolen a few cars in his lifetime. He had bleached his dark hair, as you could see his roots, and had at least four piercing in his left ear. Dark emerald eyes completed his look. "Mitch Watson is Delta's defender; twenty-years-old, six-foot even, and one-hundred-sixty pounds and from what I hear he can definitely hold his own. They say that he is even tougher than he looks,"

"That's hard to believe," Liz scoffed. Amy giggled.

"How can he be tougher than he looks?" Asked Takashi.

"Well," Michiru ran her finger over to a small camera icon. "Let's watch a race for ourselves." The video clip started with the obnoxious voice of Benjamin Bright announcing the starting point. The camera switched to the starting line. Delta's mechs were simple and sleek, similar to Skylark's, but less feminine. They were mostly green with black highlights in places. The contradicting team's mechs were yellow and gray, and more block-like.

"This is the race between the top two teams in the IG2, Delta and Savage." Said Michiru, walking back and sitting behind her team. "Of course, Delta won, but the technique that they used focuses on the defensive line, and it contains quite the play by Mitch Watson."

They watched as the mechs rocketed off the starting line. Delta hung toward the back of the pack and let Savage take a moderate lead for the first lap. As soon as Delta crossed into the second lap, they moved up to match with their opponents. Mitch took out his contender with a simple dodge and punch to the back of the mech.

Meanwhile, Raven and Bryce were simply trying to avoid fighting with adversaries. As soon as Mitch had taken out the Savage defender, he caught up with Bryce and together they took out the Savage midfielder without a problem. By then, it was the three Delta mechs against the single Savage forward. He didn't stand a chance. They went into speed mode and sped past him instead of taking him out.

"At least they're merciful," commented Andrei. He was shushed by Liz.

All three of the Delta mechs crossed the finish line before the single Savage. The race was a total blowout.

"It looked like pros facing a bunch of newbies!" Exclaimed Andrei. "That was... that was a total disaster!"

"Yes, but, Andrei, that was only the IG2," Michiru pointed out, "they'll have a much harder time up here."

"Do we know what the full potential of their mechs, yet?" Asked Mark, who had just entered the room.

"No, unfortunately not,"

"Do you have a picture?"

"That we do," she said, walking up to the front of the room and touching the corner a few times. Icons appeared on the screen, and she pushed the one that read _Delta_. More icons appeared, and she pressed _Mechs_. Three pictures of three different mechs popped up. Mark walked up to the screen. "Touch the mech that you want to see and touch it again for it to rotate." Michiru explained.

Mark touched the one on the far left. Raven Archer's. "This one is a forward, right? See this," he ran his fingers above the arms of the mech. "This is built for pushing, and it appears that the hand can extend, because of the way the fingers are formed." The arm of the mech was wide and pointed, and the fingers were jointed in many places, and tapered down to sharp points. "And the legs here, they're compacted, so it can spring in to the air. And the body is slim, so it's built for speed."

He turned to Michiru. "How do you get back?"

"Touch the corner,"

"Right," he touched the corner and it went back to the screen with the three mechs. Mark touched the middle mech. "This one is a mid-fielder's mech, and it's more built for fighting than speed." He touched the mech and it started turning slowly. "The upper torso is thicker than the forward's, so it will handle more hits. That tells us another thing--count on the forward to be fast."

"Why?" Asked Takashi.

"Because," said Mark, "it's not big _or_ thick. It's very thin and fragile. If you can hit it, you'll be doing good, because if it's made out of the usual light Teflon metal that mechs are made out of, it won't take much to break it apart."

Takashi smiled, this girl couldn't be that fast, he could handle it.

"If they trust her that much... well, we'll have to find that out for ourselves, now won't we? Back to the mech--the arm is wide, but not quite as wide as the forward mech. It's shoulders and upper arms have a greater thickness to them, though, so be ready, Amy, you might get slammed around a bit. The elbows are sharp, and so are the hands, so be careful out there."

He tapped the corner of the screen then touched the last mech. "The defensive mechs are always special." Mark said with a smile. "And this one is no exception," he pointed to the chest, where the driver would be sitting. "This one is thick, as all defensive mechs usually are. The arms are unusually shaped," he said, squinting at the image. "The lower arm and hand are quite big, and the metal here goes back farther than it should," Mark's finger followed the arm from the hand to the elbow. Everyone in the room saw what he was talking about. The metal covering the arm went out past the elbow, maybe eight to ten inches.

"Is that illegal?" Asked Amy.

"Not that I know of; it's just that I've never seen something like that before. The upper arm is thin, which is just a little abnormal, but I have seen it done before. This mech is built especially for blocking attacks."

"Why would somebody want to do that?" Michiru interrupted.

"It could be a number of things, but I can't pin-point the exact reason."

"What are the possibilities?"

"The defender might not be a fighter, so he or she needs something to help him out. But it could be the other way around, and he's a fighter, but he'll shove. The third possibility is that there's some weapon here that isn't visible, and it _is_ just a strong way to defend yourself if the weapon fails, or until they bring it out. But, like I said, it's hard to tell until I see them race for myself."

"It's a good thing that we're not racing them first then." Said Michiru. "I just received the new schedule for this season."

"What is it?" Takashi asked, twisting in his seat along with Liz and Amy to look at their boss. Michiru stood and walked to the front of the room, while Mark made his way to the back. She popped the email up that she had opened in the back of the room on her laptop. It read:

_DELTA_

_1--Sledgemama_

_2--Velshtein_

_3--Satomi_

_4--White Snow_

_5--Edge Raid_

_6--Velshtein_

_7--Sledgemama_

_8--Satomi_

_EDGE RAID_

_1--White Snow_

_2--Satomi_

_3--Sledgemama_

_4--Velshtein_

_5--Delta_

_6--Satomi_

_7--Velshtein_

_8--White Snow_

_SATOMI_

_1--Velshtein_

_2--Edge Raid_

_3--Delta_

_4--Sledgemama_

_5--White Snow_

_6--Edge Raid_

_7--White Snow_

_8--Delta_

_SLEDGEMAMA_

_1--Delta_

_2--White Snow_

_3--Edge Raid_

_4--Satomi_

_5--Velshtein_

_6--White Snow_

_7--Delta_

_8--Velshtein_

_VELSHTEIN_

_1--Satomi_

_2--Delta_

_3--White Snow_

_4--Edge Raid_

_5--Sledgemama_

_6--Delta_

_7--Edge Raid_

_8--Sledgemama_

_WHITE SNOW_

_1--Edge Raid_

_2--Sledgemama_

_3--Velshtein_

_4--Delta_

_5--Satomi_

_6--Sledgemama_

_7--Satomi_

_8--Edge Raid_

"At least we get to watch Delta first," mentioned Liz.

"That race is tomorrow, and your first race is two days after that, against Team Velshtein." Said Michiru, downsizing the chart and shutting the screen off. The lights flickered on and Team Satomi exited the room.

**That Chapter was really just to give you some information about Delta, their mechs, and the schedules for the teams, which I guess wasn't needed, but it's there. It was kinda just so you could get to know Delta... sorta. **

**Thank you to my reviewers blue briar rose and magicalfairy12! Thank you so much! we're all trying to bring the FOB world to its senses, here! I'm not alone!**

**Review please! – karatezla**


	3. Delta vs Sledgemama

**Under Pressure**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original IGPX characters. I do own, though, my precious Team Delta and all of its members.**

**Summary: Another IG-2 team moves up and into the IG-1. Will they threaten to replace Satomi as one of the top teams? What will they do to win? And most importantly... who are they?**

Chapter Three: Delta vs. Sledgemama

"It's time, folks, for the first IGPX race of 2051!" exclaimed Benjamin Bright, the IGPX commentator, "it's between the newbies Team Delta and long-time veterans Team Sledgemama!"

In the press room, the three Delta team mates answered as many of the questions that were bombarding them as they could. They stood up in the flashing lights in their black suits.

"Miss Archer!" shouted a reporter, shoving a mike toward her face, "are you scared to face the eleven-year-veterans known as Team Sledgemama and their forward River Marque?"

Raven smiled and stared the camera. "Actually, to tell you the truth, no, I'm not scared of River, but I am partially scared of Dimma." She said, laughing. Her voice had a gruff tone to it, but it rang though the room with a certain confidence and morale. "Hopefully Mitch can hold him off for me," she glanced over at her defender.

"I can try, but it's no promise that I can hold off a man who is almost seven feet tall and weighs almost twice as much as I do." Mitch shrugged. A small wave of laugher filled the room. His light voice threw off his appearance. It was almost as if Raven and Mitch could have exchanged voices and it would have been a lot more accurate.

"Raven, do you have any last words for the opposing team before the race starts?" yelled another reporter; another microphone pushed through the crowd and into the racer's faces.

"Nothing I can say in public," she answered. Bryce stifled a laugh; he knew what she would say if she could.

Hayden Erikson, Team Delta's owner, rushed onto the stage and ushered his team off. "Excuse us, but it's time for the race to start."

The room was then filled with sounds of journalists trying to fit last-minute questions in before the team exited the room. Bryce grinned at the desperate people and waved. He hadn't said a word the whole interview, and he hadn't been planning on it. Publicity was Raven and Mitch's thing. He was just there because he loved to race, not because of the fame.

"'Kay, guys, it's time. The first race of the season and our first race in the IG1," Hayden was Bryce's cousin, and an IGPX expert. He had been preparing his team for this moment his, and their, whole careers. "Sledgemama is the oldest team still in the IGPX, and--"

"Yes, you've already put us through this, Hayden." Raven said, smiling reassuringly, "just put us out there and let us do the rest. Don't worry,"

Hayden sighed, "Go get 'em,"

The three racers walked down the hallway toward the three Sledgemama racers. Dimma who was closest to Raven, took a threatening step in the rookie-team's direction. Raven flinched.

"Stupid kids," Yamma said, his scar making his sneer look like an overstretched, Picasso-like smile.

Mitch started to go after the Sledgemama leader, but Bryce roughly pulled him back; a reminder that they could get them on the track.

ll--I-G-P-X--ll

Both teams were in their mechs and ready on the track. Benjamin Bright was shouting away in his usual loud and annoying manner. All of the drivers could see was the flashing red bar that, when blinked the signature blue _GO_, would signal the start of the race, but nobody could see or hear the crowd--just their own heart beating one-million times per second.

"Man, I'm nervous," admitted Raven, "this isn't like the IG2... we were almost guaranteed a win down there. Mitch, get ready to be slammed, and _don't_ get taken out or I come back and get you."

"Yes ma'am,"

"Raven, don't forget our strategy," Bryce's strong voice carried through his team mate's helmet with a vibe that echoed fortitude.

"I won't, Bryce; Hayden pounded that thing into my head so many times that I doubt I would forget it if you took my head off and cleaned my brain out."

"Guys, can we stop talking for a while? I need to get into my groove." Mitch interrupted.

"Groove it up, Mitchell--you'll need it,"

Silence blanketed the line as the red bar turned yellow, then the blue letters flashed once, but none of the mechs were around to see them disappear. All six mechs launched themselves off the starting line, moving into set formations. Sledgemama shifted into a line, so that they were side by side, and not allowing Delta any track for them to maneuver themselves around or in front of them. Delta swung into a backward-triangle arrangement, with Bryce at the back point.

"Rookies," River Marque scoffed.

"Why don't you do us all a favor and take that bottom lip of yours, put it up over your head, and swallow!" Mitch jeered.

"Hey, at least I didn't _steal_ my mech!"

"Like you have room to talk,"

"_Children!_" screeched Raven, "no more bickering, please!"

"Oh, and now the lady comes to save the day. How unoriginal," Yamma sneered.

"Three," Bryce said quietly.

"I'm unoriginal? What's with the tactics, huh? Trying to make us attack before the second lap? So IG2," Raven countered.

"Two," the Delta midfielder counted. He hoped his team mates were hearing him.

"Then what's your defender doing arguing back, Archer? You're arguing too!" River contradicted.

"One," the second lap was approaching rapidly, and they were supposed to start their strategy within moments.

"Don't make me not come up there, River," the Delta leader advised.

"Bring it on, girly, I can take you anytime."

"Go," Bryce whispered, closing his eyes for a second.

"If you take me, you take my whole team, baby,"

Bryce's mech sped forward as Mitch's crouched. Raven fell back fast to about where her midfielder used to be. Bryce kneeled and spun around to be directly beside Mitch, looking the opposite way. The two mech's were so close that they looked like they were holding hands.

"What the heck are they doing?" asked Yamma, doing a slow three-sixty.

"Don't bother; they won't be able to beat us," said Dimma.

Raven shot forward, making a beeline for her ready team mates. She spun in circles for less air friction; her metal skate-like rungs created enough sparks to light a whole house. As soon as she was close enough, she stopped spinning and slammed her jointed fingers into the tarmac track, causing her to do a sudden front flip over into her waiting partner's hands.

The springs in her mech's legs loaded and released in a split second, launching her into the air, and over Team Sledgemama's heads. With a single summer-salt, she landed on her skates with perfect accuracy.

"Haha, suckers! Who's girly now?" Raven gloated; her mech going ever faster into the next turn.

Bryce and Mitch sped up behind the Sledgemama line and pushed their way through, much to the objection of River.

"Hey!" He shouted, moving up behind the Delta midfielder and defender, "you better watch that girl of yours, she's gonna get you into trouble." River easily slid around the two guys and moved toward the leader.

"I think we'd better go to our respective corners now, Bryce," said Mitch, slowing a little so he fell back behind the Delta midfielder.

"Sure," Bryce sped up a little and they pulled away from each other; Mitch turning to face the giant behind him, and Bryce trying to keep ahead of Yamma.

Mitch took the first blow unexpectedly. He ducked, but found himself right in line for the second punch coming up. He spun out onto the back of his mech, trying to get a grip on the track so he could get back on his feet. The Delta defender almost took a kick, but got up right before and managed to shakily dodge it. He spun to the back of Dimma's mech and gave him a hearty shove, knocking the bigger guy off balance. Mitch took advantage of this and jumped on the mech's back; pushing Dimma's whole machine into the hard pavement that made up the Big Eye.

As soon as Dimma was eating cement, Mitch jumped off and skated after Bryce, who was deep in combat with Yamma. The punches were being exchanged fast between the two mechs, and it was getting hard for Bryce to block them all. So far, he was managing on his own, but he would have to think of something else if he were to win this fight.

The Delta mid-fielder threw a whole bunch of fake punches, hoping to find an opening in his opponent's defense, but there was none. Yamma reacted to the fake punches just as fast as if it were actually going to hit him. Yamma took advantage of the fact that Bryce was a little slower and dodged a punch slowly so that it connected with his mech for a split-second. This boosted Bryce's confidence, and when the next punch came, Yamma grabbed it. The Sledgemama mech pushed the Delta mech ferociously into the side of the track; pinning the younger racer under himself.

Mitch skated up behind the pair, grabbed Yamma's mech around the waist, and pulled him off. Bryce got to his feet and they both pushed Yamma to the side of the track and worked to smash his mech.

"Where are you guys!" Raven's urgent voice called through the mike. "I need help!"

The two boys left Yamma's mech in a state of almost-disrepair and sped up the track.

Meanwhile, River Marque was chasing Raven all over the track. She had taken a couple hits and almost lost an arm. "Hey, Hayden? I think you can send Rachel out now." She said, referring to their mechanic.

They were about two-thirds done with the second lap when Hayden called out the Running Skeletons. It turns out River was taking Raven apart, literally. Rachel Harrington was a pro; she sped up in her green Running Skeleton and Raven relaxed, letting her friend go to work.

"So what happened, Birdie?" Rachel asked while expertly re-building Raven's mech.

"Please don't call me that," Raven droned.

"What happened?"

"Man, I got picked apart, Rach."

"Yes, I see that,"

"I completely underestimated River, which I shouldn't have done, and let him break my defense."

"Well, don't do it again," the Running Skeleton placed Raven's mech back onto the track.

"I don't plan on it,"

"Just win the race, hon,"

There was a click as Rachel turned off her radio. The bars on screen inside the mechs flashed red, yellow, then blue, signaling the restart of the race. The two forward mechs were less than a minute away from crossing into the third lap.

If Mitch and Bryce have done their jobs, thought Raven, we should be in line for a win here. Now for River...

She fell back so that the blue Sledgemama mech came into view. Raven charged at River, who sunk out of sight and came up behind her.

"You never learn, do you, girl?" He said as his mechs arm's linked around the torso of Raven's mech. Raven squirmed in his grasp, but no matter what she tried, he wouldn't let go. River spun in circles, causing their momentum to work against Raven.

Once they had moved into the third lap, River suddenly let go of Raven, sending her flying across the track and smashing into the side. The Sledgemama forward cackled as he sped away; shifting into speed mode. Raven grumbled under her breath.

Mitch and Bryce flew past their team mate in speed mode. "Are you okay?" Mitch asked.

"Fine," mumbled Raven, "but I don't think I'll be finishing the race."

ll--I-G-P-X--ll

Dimma and Yamma never finished either, which meant that the first race of the year ended in a tie.

"An exciting first race between Team Sledgemama and the rookie Team Delta!" Benjamin Bright yelled into his microphone. "Tune in tomorrow for the race between Teams Edge Raid and White Snow!"

"At least we tied," said Mitch while rubbing the back of his neck.

"And if you race that again, your sorry butts are gonna be losing!" shouted Hayden, "You have six days until we race Team Velshtein, so pick it up, people--let's show them what we can really do. I want a win,"

Team Delta headed upstairs to their rooms; this was going to be a long season.

**Please tell me how that turned out. My first time writing IGPX, so I hope it was good! **

**Thanks MagicalFairy12 and Hannah for reviewing! You helped! Seriously!**

**'Til we meet again--KT**


	4. Get the Party Started Archer Remix

**Under Pressure**

**Disclaimer: Okay-ness. Waiting for my McDonald's to arrive. I don't own McDonald's. I don't own IGPX, either.**

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to CASE iN POiNT. She's got me up and going again. Kind of. Sorta. Actually, she just told me that I should update. Thank you, Case!**

Chapter Four: Get the Party Started (Archer Remix)

"Dude, Raven, check it out," Mitch said, passing a crimson envelope across the chairs to his forward.

"That's _dudette_, to you, Mitchell," Raven retorted before a cough racked her body. "What the heck did they spray this with?"

"Who's _they_?" Bryce muttered, not glancing up from the magazine he was reading.

"White Snow," Raven scrunched up her nose. "It's some kind of party or... something,"

"When is it?"

"Tonight,"

A red flag went up in Bryce's head. He looked up at his team mates. "Aren't we doing something tonight?" he frowned.

"Um..." Mitch said, stretching so his chair reclined. "Yeah... but we're going to _accidentally_ forget about it for the time being, right Ray?"

"Right," she chuckled. "Besides, _Cunningham_ is going to be there."

"Ooo, I love Cunningham," Mitch mocked in a falsetto voice, only to get a solid _WACK_ from Raven.

"But... we race Velshtein in four days. Hayden will _murder_ us if he finds that you went and skipped practice. And, personally, I feel like living," said Bryce, tossing his magazine onto the side table. "You could just ask him if you can go. He might say yes... but even if he doesn't, he'll know where you went."

"Are you nuts? It's more fun this way!" Mitch exclaimed.

"Come with us, Bry," Raven said seductively, giving the Russian a sexy look.

"I... yeah, but only because I don't trust you two to come home completely sober, even if you are underage."

"Score!" Mitch shouted, pumping a fist into the air. The chair tipped backwards at the sudden movement, causing him to fall out head-first and run right into the wall. A quiet curse could be barely be heard over Raven's laughter.

ll--I-G-P-X--ll

The three Delta racers stood in front of the White Snow dorm. Flashing strobe lights could be visible and deep bass could be felt through the ground. In the dark, the color of the clothing that the trio wore was offset by the different lights. Apparently, the party had already started. The invitation had told them to dress casually. Bryce sighed deeply and jammed his hands into baggy blue jean pockets. His t-shirt read _IGPX_ across the front, but, in the flashing lights, one couldn't come right out and say what color it was. His last name, Roland, was seemingly slapped across his shoulder blades. Below it, Delta, in its Greek letter form, stood out in red ink. The actually color of the shirt was dark, but the specific tone was yet to be identified.

Raven stood to the right of him in tight khakis and the same t-shirt that Bryce had, only with _Archer_ across the back instead of _Roland_. Her head unconsciously moved to the beat of the faint music. Dark brown hair, recently straightened, cascaded over her shoulders as her bangs did a sweep across her forehead.

The last Delta, though, seemed to have gone a little _too _casual. Of course, he wore the same shirt as his team mates, with _Watson_ across the back. His cargo pants, though, were a different story. It looked as though something had attacked them, and Bryce took the time to point that out. Holes and rips appeared in various intervals on the pants, especially the knees.

"That's not cool," Raven told him.

Mitch replied with a nasty glare.

Bryce rolled his eyes. "Let's get in there before I get attacked by screaming fangirls,"

"But you don't _have_ any fangirls," Raven noted.

"Not _yet_, I don't, but when we finally get in there, which will be in a million years, I might,"

"Let's go," Mitch groaned, taking the first step.

When they got to the door, a man appeared, asking for the invitation. Raven, a little creped out, handed it to him. He opened the door.

"It's not to bad in here, actually," Raven said, stepping inside.

"Heh, Ray, there's another door," said Bryce, taking the opportunity to open the second set of doors.

The force of the music itself almost knocked them over. Bryce and Raven could barely hear Mitch's "Whoa-ho!" over the music.

A mass of dancing bodies filled the center of the room. Tables were scattered where bodies were not. "There's no way all of these people could be IGPX pilots," Bryce mumbled to himself.

"You're right," said a voice to his left.

Bryce turned his head. River Marque. "You heard me?" he shouted.

"Sure," the blonde said.

"Who are they all?"

"Famous people, close friends of White Snow, Pilots, more famous people..."

"Oh," Bryce said, attempting to find his friends as a mixed version of 'Baby Got Back' started. Ugh. He hated this song. A little ways away, he saw Takashi, Liz, and Amy sitting at a table next to a table that contained member of Velshtein. At another table sat a member of Edge Raid surrounded by drinks. In this lighting, it was hard to identify _anybody_.

"Can I sit with you guys?" he asked, approaching the Satomi table. He saw Takashi nod and motion to the seat next to him.

"So you're Roland, huh?" he heard a rough, female voice ask.

"Yeah..." Bryce said, shaking the hand of Liz. "My team abandoned me for, um... this," he looked around the room.

"Sorry, man," she replied, grinning. "We don't even know why we come to these things,"

Bryce looked over at Takashi, offering a hand. "Bryce Roland,"

"Delta midfielder, I know," Takashi droned. "You guys have been all over the news for the past couple weeks. But, I must admit, you guys aren't too bad." He gave Bryce a small smile and took the hand offered.

"Thanks,"

"So, where are they? You team mates, I mean,"

Bryce squinted. That was a good question. Looking around, he spotted a circle of cheering people. Between them, he caught glimpses of Mitch and his ripped pants. "Well," he started, "it looks like Mitch, our defender, is over there," he nodded toward the circle. He saw Raven dancing with some guy in the mass of bodies. "Raven, our forward, is... in _there_,"

He heard Takashi laugh, then stop. "Here comes trouble,"

Bryce's eyes flicked up to see a man with a diamond on his cheek. He couldn't remember the name, but he felt his stomach tighten. A member of White Snow.

"Delta," the man sneered. "Glad you could make it."

"No problem," Bryce replied quietly, trying not to make eye contact.

"Zanak," Takashi growled, "great party,"

"Glad you think so," Judy Highsmith crowed, coming up behind Zanak, obviously drunk. "You must by that Bryce..." she slurred.

"Go dance, Judy," Zanak told her.

Grinning widely, she was happy to oblige.

"How did you guys get all this alcohol?" Bryce asked over the music. "You're underage!"

"You'd be surprised," Zanak flashed a grin.

"I'm sure,"

Reducing his grin to a minute smile, he walked away. This time, with a sweeping glance, Bryce took in his surroundings, but this time something was wrong.

Hayden Erikson stood at the double door entrance. Rachel stood on his right.

Bryce cursed, causing Takashi to look at him.

"What?"

"We... weren't supposed to come," Bryce told him. "We... they snuck out. I followed them only to make sure they got home alright."

Then Hayden made eye contact with the Russian, giving him a poisonous look. Bryce closed his eyes. They were in for it now.


End file.
